Lacing device for shoes and boots



Jan. 8; 1929. 1,697,893

A. E. WINLOW LACING DEVICE FOR SHOES AND BOOTS Filed Oct. 9, 1926 fllerlWillow v [3 13061120! Patented Jan. 8, 1929.

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inmate LACING DEVICE FOR SHOES AND BOOTS.

Application filed October 9, 1928. Serial No. 140,584.

This invention relates to a lacing device for shoe and boots. Its mainob]ects are to simplify and to facilitate the usuallytedious operationoflacing and unlacing these 31'". ticles of wear. A further objectattained byv the adoption of my device is that the lacing is entirelyoutside the shoe, instead of being half outside andhalf inside the shoefront according to the usual method. From this it follows that my systemof lacing and se curing a shoe is much more comfortable as there is nolacing to interfere with the comfort of the foot where it makes contactwith the inner side of the shoe front. Hence the fit of the shoe can bemade to more exactly. conform to the shape of the foot, thus ensur-' inga neater appearance in the general form of the shoe apart from thesmarter appearance .of the lacing itself. A still further resultobtained is that the usual unsightly fastening with its tendency tobecome loose and dangerous is also done away with. v

I secure these results by the adoption of an external combined hook andeyelet, both of which are entirely external to the shoe. In the case ofa shoe having say five lacings only that is five holes on each side ofthe join, the simplest case for illustration, the lace is permanentlythreaded through all the eyelets except the middle one on each side theends being securely fastened and of sufiicient length to permit an easyinsertion of the foot, the operation is then completed by merely takingthe centre portion of the lace on each 7 side respectively and loopingit over the corresponding hook on the opposite side of the join, this isbut the work of an instant and the shoe is then completely andsymmetrically laced. The comparative facility of this method as comparedwith the ordinary laced joint even when mitigated by the partial use ofthe ordinary rather large hook with its liability to engage adjacentclothing, is very marked.

In the drawings herewith which form part ther increased, and so theoperation involves a plural ty of looping over places. Fig. 2 is also afront view of the front of a shoe, but showing the lacing completed bythe replacmg of the loop on each side over the hook on theopposite sideof the shoe join. Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 show details to an enlarged scale ofa hook-eyelet of a form suitable for the device above described.Identical parts in the several views are indicated by similar numerals,1 being the shoe front of which 2 is the laced front seam, 3 are thehook-eyelets-in the illustration five in number on eachside but thedevice is equally applicable. to high-laced boots whether for loggersorladies by repeating the hook-over device one or more times accordingto requirements. It 1s to be noted that all the hook-eyelets are alikeand it is only in the threading of the lace to permit the cross-overthat enables the device to be put into effect. Thus in a long front one,two or three cross overs may be put in according to the fancy of thewearer,

in the heavy boot of a logger the eyelets would I at 7 as required. Inthis method the ends of I the wire are put through the leather andclinched upon it as shown at 8, this makes a simpleand cheap arrangementwhich makes a perfectly symmetrical front appearance, but

the hook-eyelet may if preferred be formed as a stamping of the embossedwasher type with a hollow tang piercing the leather and clinched in theform'of a split washer on the inner side ofthe leather front. In thatcase the top washer of the eyelet is turned upwards to make the eyelethook required in'my device. The portion 9 is the top of the heel end ofthe shoe and forms no part of the invention. It isto he observed thatthe lace when in the loosened condition shown in Fig. 1 passes over themiddle eyelet and not through it as in all the other positions.

Having now declared the nature of my said device, what I claim as myinvention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

A boot and shoe lacing device comprising,

an endless lace adapted to unite the front seam of said shoe, an alignedseries of external eyelets secured adj aoently of and parallel to eachedge of said seam each said eyelet comprising an external ring portionand a solid shank portion, Which shank portion is embedded,

posed edgeWise to the seam of the said shoe that a loop of the said lacemaybe readily secured when slipped over the said ring, the

said endless lace being threaded through some i as desired.

ALBERT E. WINLOW.

' of said eyelets and merely slipped over others I

